23 Dec Pros and Cons of Dynamics GP & Dynamics 365 Business Central
Whether you’re doing initial research into Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central or you’ve been a dedicated GP user for years, you’re probably wondering if 365 Business Central is a worthwhile investment. Below, we’ll outline some of the benefits and drawbacks of each.
At CyberlinkASP, we know that making the decision to commit to one or the other isn’t always straightforward. If you’d like additional information after reading this piece, just get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help. We’ve been a trusted provider of Microsoft Dynamics hosting for years and can provide you with everything you need to know in order to make an informed decision.
Licensing and Hosting
Let’s start by discussing Dynamics GP licensing. If you purchase Dynamics GP for your business, you’re really purchasing the software through perpetual licensing. This means that you pay an up-front fee to use the software as well as additional fees for maintenance and major upgrades. As far as hosting is concerned, Dynamics GP provides you with the opportunity to host through your own server or go through a third-party hosting provider.
Dynamics 365 Business Central is hosted through Microsoft Azure, which means that you won’t have to find and commit to a third-party hosting provider. It also means that the software will be updated automatically, saving your IT department the hassle of keeping everything up-to-date and eliminating the costly fees that are sometimes associated with using Dynamics GP.
Additional Functionality
Dynamics GP provides financial and distribution software as part of the standard package with the option to purchase additional software for payroll and HR, services, manufacturing, and other customizations. Dynamics GP has also been around long enough that independent parties develop additional applications to fill gaps and address user needs. Unfortunately, this can also become overwhelming and somewhat unwieldy for new users looking for consistency and uniformity in the add-ons they purchase.
Business Central’s capabilities are approximately similar to Dynamics GP’s, with one crucial difference: Many companies are developing add-on applications in Microsoft’s Extension platform with Business Central in mind. This means that although Business Central’s add-on market is not yet as robust as Dynamics GP’s, it’s likely that it will be in a matter of time.
Functionality
We won’t get into the details of Dynamics GP and Business Central’s functionality beyond two major differences: warehousing and payroll. Dynamics GP includes payroll functionality for U.S. and Canadian clients, which can be convenient for clients looking for an all-in-one solution. However, it does not include functionality for warehousing, which can be a significant drawback for many clients.
Business Central, on the other hand, provides several powerful features such as warehouse management, budgeting features, cash flow projections, and Dynamics CRM integration. It does not include payroll functionality, which can increase the operating costs if a third-party vendor is needed.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the choice between Business Central and Dynamics GP is one that needs to be made according to your business’ short- and long-term needs. If you would like to discuss which one is right for your business and learn more about cloud hosting, please contact a CyberlinkASP team member.